A life growing up in the wilds of Devon filled with camping, surfing, biking and messing about, getting rained on and covered in mud led to nearly 10 years of narrowboat living on the Kennet and Avon Canal with my two gorgeous cats, Ginny and Duck and a longterm love of the outdoors and the unexpected.  Alongside the seeming ‘more’ adventurous aspects of my personality there is a large place in my heart for dancing (of any kind – trance to traditional ceilidh), dusty old books and fireside pub chats with boardgame chaser.

The (somehow unexpected and “how did that happen”) arrival of my 4th decade prompted some serious life consideration, adjustment and the idea of undertaking ‘a bit of a cycle ride’.

Starting the day after the Spring Equinox, 2015, I was late leaving, as usual. A friend, nodding sagely, told me that it would be just my luck to have missed the ‘greatest party in history’ because I was running a day late from the start of this very unplanned and ramshackle adventure.  Never mind that … There is fun and interest to be found everywhere!

It has continued to be wildly unplanned (The (he)Art of Travel), weaving across continents, predominantly utilising the incredible Tilly whilst having no issue with short sections on trucks, trains and boats depending on the circumstance, following the idea of East and the ever helpful suggestions of the people I meet along the way.

So why the blog title?

As ever, I was being too smart for my own good! The naivety sometimes negatively associated with this expression and untenable levels of stupidity has, for me, delivered golden opportunities and insights rather than a blinkered hinderance to my capacity to continuously learn from the varied experiences that travelling has to offer.

The joyful, ‘wide-eyed’ amazement I feel most days cannot be beaten and my constantly developing love of photography and writing give me endless ways to dissect, discuss and disseminate my ‘views’!

I also hear wisdom in the words “see the world through the eyes of a tourist, see the world through the eyes of a child”.

I never want to lose the capacity to see the views in front of me with awe. To see the magic in the mundane as well as in a magnificent mountain vista is what I aim for and to constantly develop and retain the feeling of gratitude that I can do so.